Article written by contributor AV
Il Forno di Via Commenda (Guastalla)
Opened in the 1980s by Pasquale, this bakery—with its spacious café area—has become a true Milanese institution. The classic michetta (light and crunchy, just as tradition dictates) is considered one of the best in town. I personally loved the wholemeal rolls, and on the sweet side, don’t miss the classic cremonese—a milk bread with sugary “horns”—or its chocolate-hazelnut-filled twist.
Il Forno di Via Commenda
Via della Commenda, 19
Cantun Bakery & Bistrot (Vercelli/City Life)
Perfect for buying bread and demolishing a custard-filled brioche (as I often do). Alongside classic loaves baked daily, you’ll also find special “coloured” breads depending on the day—on Wednesdays, the bread turns blue thanks to spirulina. Croissants here are just right: flaky, buttery, and with the perfect amount of filling. This spot is also great for aperitifs (highly recommend the sharing board), lunches, dinners, brunches, and even catering. It’s one of our team’s favourite places—we even celebrated Sere’s 30th birthday here!
Cantun Bakery & Bistrot
Via Polibio, 1
Viale Boezio, 2
Crosta (Porta Venezia)
Two locations (Crosta and Crosta Lab), open 7 days a week, all day long—as their website says, “you can eat here all day”. The scent of freshly baked goods is intoxicating. Giovanni’s bread is always a win—my favourite is the walnut and orange loaf, closely followed by their pan brioche, a real all-rounder. Simone’s pizzas are Roman-style at lunch, and Neapolitan-style in the evening. Thick and airy, they range from classics (the spicy ‘nduja one is a must) to more modern creations (yes, there’s a pineapple pizza with ventricina, coriander and spring onions). Don’t skip their breakfast pastries: the zabaione brioche and muffins are standouts.
Crosta
Via Belotti, 13
Via Melzo, 5
LePolveri (Lorenteggio)
To the original Sant’Ambrogio location, a new space on Via Vespri Siciliani has been added—featuring an open-view bakery, an inviting bar, and shelves filled with granola, biscuits, and coffee. Perhaps thanks to the larger space, the lunch menu and bar options have really expanded. Curious about the updates, I tried their excellent seeded bread served with whipped salted butter, along with the daily vegetarian dish (note: 4 out of 9 options are vegan!). Weekend breakfasts now include creative sandwiches, though my heart still belongs to the cocoa and salt bun. Even as a “NEW ENTRY”, LePolveri remains a “TRUE LOVE”.
LePolveri
Via Vespri Siciliani, 16
Via Ausonio, 7
CATEGORIA SPIN-OFF
Clandestino non esiste (Lambrate)
Run by the same women behind Onest (a wine bar and kitchen in Dateo), this tiny bakery shares the same values: sustainability, careful ingredient sourcing, and low waste. Daily and weekly production is planned precisely, but their signature loaf—the “Clandestina”—is always available. On Sundays, look for the focaccia baked in a tray (thin, bubbly) and their amazing oat sandwich loaf. Their sweet treats are best enjoyed with a cup of specialty coffee—available both to go and brewed in-house.
Clandestino non esiste
Via Conte Rosso, 18
Forno Nascosto (Gorla)
A “bakery within a venue”: the lab of Tipografia Alimentare now has its own shop window showcasing their breakfast offerings. Livia and Emanuele offer a small but top-quality selection: sourdough loaves, baguettes, rye bread and focaccia al padellino. You can opt for a savoury breakfast with filled focaccias, or go for the unbeatable cinnamon roll (which we previously recommended)—messy in the best way, especially paired with their superb iced coffee.
Forno Nascosto – Tipografia Alimentare
Via Dolomiti, 1
Ciopa (Isola)
A dream come true for Sandra, owner of Tàscaro (winner on Alessandro Borghese’s “4 Ristoranti” TV show), and Stefano, trained by Renato Bosco. This neighbourhood bakery brings a taste of Veneto through its breads and biscuits: ciope (hard wheat loaves), ciopete (mini versions), cichèti (baguette bites). Special loaves like aromatic rye are also part of the rotating menu. Among the sweets, don’t miss the veneziane—I tried one with peach and almond: incredibly light, slightly moist from the fruit, and perfectly contrasted by crunchy almonds. Simply flawless.
Ciopa
Via Genova Thaon de Revel, 12
CATEGORIA SGUARDO SUL MONDO
Pan (Dateo)
Chef Tokuyoshi (Bentoteca) and partner Alice continue to surprise us. After Katsusanderia and Favola, they’ve now opened a Japanese bakery that also explores Italian-French classics. The king of the counter is still shokupan, Japan’s famous milk bread, used here in both sweet and savoury recipes (think Eggs Benedict and French Toast!). While the new Curry Pan (a veggie curry doughnut) is exciting, I still prefer the Anpan with red bean paste. My indulgent path continues with matcha and yuzu croissants. Like Cantun, Crosta, and LePolveri, Pan goes beyond breakfast—great for lunch, brunch on weekends, and even turns into a wine bar. Book ahead!
Pan
Via Leopoldo Cicognara, 19
Tone – Bread & Wine Lab (Città Studi)
A working Georgian tone oven and the chance to try shotis puri and khachapuri might have you thinking this is a Georgian bakery. And yet—they also make madeleines and baguettes (but it’s not French), babka and cinnamon rolls (but it’s not Nordic). Add in Icelandic rúgbrauð, Arabic khobz, and Armenian lavash, and you get a truly global bakery. A must on your first visit: try the khachapuri and the bold potato and za’atar focaccia. Sweet-wise, don’t miss the bread caramel, the maritozzi (especially the salted caramel one), and their chocolate bomboloni.
Tone – Bread & Wine Lab
Via Donatello, 22
Signor Lievito (Porta Romana)
A micro-bakery with an open kitchen and café space, born from the meeting of a 120-year-old Neapolitan sourdough and Natalia, a young Latvian sommelier. Thanks to frequent baking throughout the day, you might be lucky enough to take home warm bread (I got a sandwich loaf that later became the best club sandwich). Don’t leave without trying a cinnamon roll, a slice of babka or one of their signature escargots. My top pick: the bulka, made even more decadent with a dollop of almond cream.
Signor Lievito
Via Maestri Campionesi, 26,
CATEGORIA NEW ENTRY
TraMa (Porta Venezia/Buenos Aires)
Some numbers from what might be Europe’s tiniest bakery: 8.87 sqm of shop-lab space, €3,000 raised via GoFundMe, opened on the 15th of November 2022, 25-year-old founder Matteo, and 300 grams—the weight of the best focaccia I’ve ever had. Baked in small pans, it stays tall, airy, and so bouncy you could poke it all day. The classic version is perfect to take home and dress up with cold cuts, cheeses or spreads. Due to the lab’s size, they make one type of bread per day—don’t miss the Type 2 flour and wholegrain rye loaf.
TraMa
Via Stoppani, 30
Ambrogia (De Angeli/Whasington)
A sandwich board on the corner of Via Sardegna and Viale Ruggero Settiminio signals that the kosher bakery Ambrogia is open for breakfast, lunch and snacks. Run by Francesca and Federica, the counter is stacked with breads made from organic ingredients and sourdough: country loaves, olive bread, seed bread, soft loaves, panfrutto, crispy crusts. While most order French-style brioche and specialty coffee, I went for a slice of glazed carrot cake and a piece of chocolate bread, paired with apricot jam. Delicious—and look out: there are hidden chocolate chips throughout!
Ambrogia
Piazza Sicilia, 1
Un Sacco (Navigli/Barona)
Bread made the old way, with that old-school flavour, using ancient grains—and continuing to research and experiment with them. That’s Mario’s vision, founder of this Navigli bakery, where 9 of the ancient grains used are organic-certified. Pure Tumminia flour is used for a strong-flavoured bread; Perciasacchi and Gentil Rosso Irpino for salt-free loaves and high-protein loaves. On the sweet side, nonna’s cake made with stale bread and turmeric fette biscottate are both delicious in their simplicity. A bakery committed to sustainability that also shares ancient grain facts and recipes online—definitely follow them on Instagram!
Un Sacco
Via Binda, 56
CATEGORIA OUTSIDER
Circolino del Pane (Calvairate)
Last but not least—I haven’t forgotten about Davide Longoni, nor could I ever forget his tomato bread, his lemon and poppyseed cake, or the pizzas made with his sourdough starter. Among his various projects, the most recent is Circolino del Pane. Not a traditional bakery per se, it’s a place where people and ideas come together around bread and the kitchen. The space also hosts “Passaggi” evenings, where guest chefs share their philosophy and create a bread together with Longoni.
Circolino del Pane
Via Cadolini, 35
More bakeries worth discovering in Milan:
Here some more amazing bakeries for breakfasta, brunch, lunch or a break in Milan:
- Berni Bakery (Chinatown)
- Bollani Milano 1930 (Conciliazione, Morivione, Calvairate)
- Davide Longoni (Porta Romana, Risorgimento, Cinque Giornate, Calvairate, Centrale, Washington)
- Egalité (Porta Venezia) – panetteria francese
- Forno di Lambrate (Lambrate)
- I Compari – Sicily for Life (Risorgimento)
- Il Forno delle Fantasie (Segesta)
- Il Pane della Ripa (Ripa di Porta Ticinese)
- Il Pane di Luca Bakery & Coffee (Porta Romana)
- Leos Bakery (Porta Romana)
- Pane e Caffè “Grano Antico” (Solari)
- Panetteria Mercato (Lanza)
- Panificio Antico Forno Milano (Ticinese)
- Panificio Caffetteria Pasticceria Danelli (Lambrate)
- Panificio Cella (Niguarda)
- Panificio Grazioli (Bullona)
- Panificio Italiano (Piazza Ventiquattro Maggio)
- Panificio Marcon (Buonarroti)
- Panificio Marinoni (Cadorna)
- Panificio Pasticceria Piazza Milano (Caiazzo)
- Panificio Sanna dal 1976 (De Angeli)
- Pavé (Lazzaretto, Porta Romana)
- Princi (Garibaldi, Moscova, Brera, Duomo, Cordusio, Quadrilatero della Moda)
- Silini Bakery (De Angeli)
- Tondo Forno Artigiano (Isola)
- Tuv taam (Quartiere Ebraico)
Article written by contributor AV
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